A first for Africa! Ethiopian Airlines has developed its training academy into a university, offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Ethiopian Airlines Group remains committed to the development of African aviation. It has trained pilots, cabin crew, and technicians for over 65 years. Now, it is stretching even further to manufacturing aircraft components and training the next generation of aviation professionals.
Last month Ethiopian Airlines (ET) celebrated 77 years of operations in the aviation industry. Its training institution, Ethiopian Aviation Academy (EAA), which is the biggest pilot training center in Africa, has been developed into a fully functional university offering various undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
More about Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU)
EAA has provided aviation professionals for Africa and the rest of the world for many years. After six decades, it is expanding to meet the future needs of African aviation as an educational wing. Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU) will be an integral part of Ethiopian Airlines Group and the industry.
With its state-of-the-art facilities, EAA has trained pilots for the Boeing 787, B737NG, B737MAX, B767, and Airbus A350, to mention a few. It has over eight modern full-flight and fixed-base simulators for pilot upgrades, transition, and recurrent training. Additionally, it now has facilities for training professionals in different aviation sectors.
The university’s primary purpose is to lead and grow with current technological developments and meet the sophisticated demands of airline operations and airport management. EAU Vice President for Aviation Trainings and Acting President Mr Kassie Yimam said in an interview with Simple Flying;
“When we were dealing with training, we were dealing with competencies to enable people to do some tasks. For example, pilots were meant to fly airplanes effectively and safely, that’s it. Aircraft maintenance technicians are trained to maintain airplanes so they are always airworthy and safe, and they also make preventive maintenance. As time goes on, we need to develop further toward the production and manufacturing of aerospace components, airplane systems, and so on.”
Developing human resources
Ethiopian Airlines attributes its 77 years of excellence to the successful development of its human resources. The academy has been the backbone of its dominance, and to continue on this path, it intends to develop human capital even further.
EAU will introduce undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in addition to its training portfolios. The programs will start in September 2023, while applications are currently open on its website. Students can choose from the following programs:
- B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering: It will be one of the few institutions in Africa to offer an accredited aeronautical engineering degree. The course encompasses designing, developing, and modifying aircraft components and systems.
- B.Sc. in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering: It is an advanced form of maintenance training it used to provide. This dives deeper into science and engineering, and after five years, graduates will earn an engineering degree and a civil aviation license.
- B.Sc. in Aviation Management and Operations: This program will have two streams but will be studied as one degree. Toward the program’s conclusion, students will have the option to specialize in airline or airport management.
- BA in Tourism and Hospitality Management: Travel and tourism is a significant wing of the aviation industry. World air travel is expected to increase demand for tourism and hospitality managers over the next decade.
- MBA in Aviation Management and M.Sc. in Data Science: The university will offer two postgraduate degrees. Using big data and analytics has become integral to an airline’s operations. EAU will train the next generation of managers and data scientists.
The group is committed to developing aviation in Africa. It will groom talent and professionals within the airline and provide opportunities for citizens around the continent. This will help Ethiopian and its partner airlines as the next generation prepares for innovation. Mr Kassie added;
“We have been operating an airline, and we want to transfer the success to our students. That will help Ethiopian Airlines as well as other partner airlines in Africa. We’re not going to lead this airline forever. We have to develop people who can manage our lead better and bring new ideas. We can be more successful when we teach our experiences, and then they innovate and make it better. So we get better every day. When we teach, we mean it for Africa, not only for Ethiopian Airlines, we cannot grow alone.”
Feeding the production line
Ethiopian Aviation University aims to train competent engineers and aviation professionals that can feed the aerospace manufacturing industry in Africa and elsewhere. The university will enable the aviation sector in Africa to create new products rather than maintain existing ones.
It plans to expand and manufacture aircraft components, systems, and even small aircraft soon. The institution will employ internationally renowned professors to ensure students receive the highest quality of education. There will be a primary and secondary professor to ensure the concepts taught in class are applied well in the field.
Ethiopian Aviation University is one of the few universities with modern aircraft, flight simulators, workshops, airline processes, and procedures in the group to practically demonstrate what has been taught in class.
Partnering with various stakeholders
Ethiopian has partnerships with various airlines and stakeholders across the African continent. EAU is fully owned and operated by Ethiopian Airlines. However, it is open to partnering with other institutions and airlines for the enhancement of the aviation industry in Africa.
The group will be looking for partners in areas where there is potential for development and demand for its products. The African aviation market has almost fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, so great potential is waiting to be unlocked. The acting President added;
“Our development strategy is to partner with African companies, training centers, universities, airlines, airports, and so on. Look, we truly believe in the importance of partnership. So partnering will make all of us better, and it will be a win-win for all partners. So we love to have reliable partners who are serious about the importance of developing human resources for their industry.”
Ethiopian Airlines’ commitment to continental development is unprecedented. It plans almost to double its fleet over the next ten years and vastly expand its global network. The development of Ethiopian Aviation University will be essential to making ET one of the most prominent airline groups in the world.
Source: Simple Flying
